Author ORCID Identifier
Semester
Spring
Date of Graduation
2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MS
College
Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
Department
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Committee Chair
V'yacheslav Akkerman
Committee Co-Chair
Hailin Li
Committee Member
Songgang Qiu
Abstract
The rising global demand for reliable and secure energy solutions has spurred increased interest in advanced combustion technologies that can lower NOx emissions while ensuring consistent and robust thermal performance. Porous radiant burners (PRB) have emerged as a promising solution due to their enhanced heat transfer characteristics and ability to stabilize combustion within com pact configurations. Burning flexible gaseous fuel mixtures, makes it possible for PRB to burn a wide range of fuels without modifying the entire system. The present study is devoted to the development of a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model capable of simulating the combustion process of the methane-hydrogen-air mixtures in a PRB of 10-inch diameter using the CONVERGE CFD software. A two-dimensional axisymmetric model is developed to mimic the burner domain, incorporating a thin porous medium layer for flame stabilization. Specifically, the simulations are conducted under lean operating conditions, with equivalence ratios in the range 0.56 ≤ ϕ ≤ 0.8, and include fuel compositions such as pure methane and a 50% hydrogen-methane volumetric blend. The numerical framework employs a finite-volume approach to solve the governing equations for a reacting flow, accounting for turbulence, the detailed chemical kinetics, and heat transfer. The model is extended to include porous media resistance, enabling a realistic representation of combustion within the porous region. In addition, adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) is employed to dynamically enhance the grid resolution in the domains of steep gradients, such as the reaction zone and the porous region. The simulation results are validated by the experiments undertaken at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The comparison parameters are the burner surface temperature, the thermal input versus heat released from the system, and dry compositions of exhaust, which demonstrate consistent trends and reasonable agreement. The present CFD simulation results provide detailed insights into key combustion phenomena such as flame stabilization, heat release distribution, and the NOx formation. The influence of hydrogen enrichment on the flame structure and the burner performance is systematically analyzed, offering a deeper understanding of the underlying physical mechanisms. Overall, the present work contributes to the development of efficient and low-emission combustion systems and supports the advancement of flexible fuel combustion technologies in practical applications.
Recommended Citation
Aryal, Hricha, "CFD SIMULATION OF A POROUS RADIATION BURNER OPERATED ON HYDROGEN FLEXIBLE FUEL MIXTURES" (2026). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 13330.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/13330